June 15, 2026 Last week was extremely eventful, with news regarding DOE contracts, AI, and class size, so buckle in. If only one of these issues interest you, feel free to skip to that section; but all are important. Spending on Contracts Education budget hearings were held on Monday, and a major focus was DOE’s […]
June 7, 2026 Lots happening this week! 1. Tomorrow, members of the NYC Council Education committee will grill DOE and SCA officials on the proposed education budget, starting at 12 PM. You can watch the proceedings online here. Public testimony on all budgetary issues will be held on Wednesday, starting at 9:30 AM. […]
June 2, 2026 As expected, the class size law was amended and the timeline extended to give the administration two more years to reach 100% compliance. Honestly, it was difficult to see how the Mayor could achieve the original timeline given how the Adams administration had dragged its feet and refused to develop any real […]
1. Our AI Moratorium Coalition has attracted the attention of the media and the administration, but we need your help to ensure that NYC kids’ safety and privacy are secured and they receive the rigorous, human-centered education they deserve. Please fill out this brief survey to let us know what schools and districts your children […]
1. Last chance to sign up for our Skinny Award dinner, tomorrow night, Tuesday May 19, when we will honor the incomparable Diane Ravitch, the prolific author, blogger, advocate and fierce defender of our public schools. More information and purchase your ticket here; which could include an autographed copy of her recently released […]
May 8, 2026 1. A reminder that TODAY Friday May 8 is the LAST day to provide your feedback on the DOE survey on their proposed AI guidance, which contains no measures to strengthen the privacy and security of the personal student data that AI companies collect and often use for product improvement, which is […]
May 6, 2026 1. If you oppose the rapid and reckless expansion of AI tools being used classrooms throughout NYC, we have suggestions of how you can make your voice heard: First, and most urgent: Please fill out the DOE 15-minute survey on the AI guidance. The deadline is THIS Friday May 8, 2026. For […]
April 28, 2026 Good news! The Chancellor withdrew the proposal to create an AI high school. Check out the NY Times story about this here, in which I’m quoted as saying the ”intense outrage among parents in NYC [about AI] is as great as I’ve seen it on any education issue that I’ve been working […]
April 26, 2026 1. We now have a one-page critique of the painfully inadequate DOE AI guidance, plus a longer, detailed analysis here. I’m also offering an annotated pdf version of the guidance itself with our comments appended. Links to all these docs are posted here, along with suggestions on how to respond […]
April 24, 2026 1. Please join us for our annual Skinny award dinner on Tuesday May 19, when we will be honoring the great education scholar and warrior, Diane Ravitch! Diane is not only the foremost expert on the history of the NYC school system, the author of 20 books and a widely-read […]
Sign the petition asking for a moratorium on the use of AI until rigorous safeguards are established to protect student privacy, learning and the environment.
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Talk out of School radio show and podcast airs Sunday night at 7 PM on WBAI 99.5 FM or online at www.wbai.org when Leonie Haimson, Daniel Alicea and Kaliris Salas Ramirez interview guests and discuss issues affecting public schools in NYC, the state level and nationally. You can stream or subscribe to the podcast here at Simplecast; or at iTunes, Spotify or Google.
Sign here to urge NYC to implement a real, multi-year strategy to lower class size, as the law intends, without exempting up to half or more of all students.
